Dragonball Z: Redux
by G.M.H
Summary: A complete re-imagining of Dragonball Z, beginning with a history of the Saiyan race. Greater emphasis is placed on creating a larger, more believable universe. Should be a long read.
1. Prologue

The following story is how I would have made Dragonball Z I do not own Dragonball, Dragonball Z or any affiliated works The following work is free fan fiction. Not for sale.

Prologue: The lost history of the Saiyans

Twelve hundred years had passed since the saiyans had lost their home. A planet once lush and green, it had been withered and frozen by the dying of it's star. Rather than succumb to an icy death they took to the stars, and traveling from one solar system to the next they searched for a new home. For centuries they searched, a migrant fleet of decaying vessels. Some formed into smaller groups and sought to change their cursed luck, but none now know what became of them. Perhaps they too found a home, but it sadly likely that they did not.

On the quincentennial of their exodus, the saiyan fleet found what they sought. A living world with the resources to support them. A place where they could end their arduous journey, and none too soon. Their ships were nearly crippled, and they would not have made it to any other place. They knew in their hearts that fate itself had guided them there. Only one potential obstacle now lay before them. What would the planets current inhabitants think of all this?

The native race, the Toffles, were a diminutive species. Slight of build and physically weak, but gifted mentally. They had created a technologically advanced civilization for themselves, but had no definitive knowledge of life beyond their world. All that changed with the arrival of the saiyans. Though the saiyans themselves were diverse in size and intelligence, and had many gifted scientists, their technology was vastly inferior to that of the toffles.

The saiyan's ruling council met with the hierarchy of the toffles and after a many months of confusion and overcoming the rather sizable language barrier, the two parties reached an accord. The planet Yelden (as the toffles called it) was comprised of six continents. The toffles themselves lived primarily on two of these, located in the most temperate zones of the globe. To the saiyans they offered the smallest continent, which lay on the opposite hemisphere, harsher and more wild than the places where the toffles resided. To the saiyans, this was better than they had dared to dream.

Over the course of the following decades, the saiyans thrived. Rebuilding their civilization and multiplying rapidly in their prosperous new surroundings. The two races learned much from one another, though neither told the other all that they knew. The saiyans learned about incredible new technologies to assist in their lives, and the toffles learned about energy. Not the kind of energy you get from the sun, or from a machine, or even fire. This was living energy. The kind that could be harnessed from within oneself to take a being far beyond their physical limits.

Nearly two hundred years had passed with each species living in relative harmony with the other (though always at arms length), when a problem began to arise in the minds of many toffles. The saiyans were expanding too quickly.

It had not been so long ago that the saiyans had arrived on Yelden, and already they were seeking permission to settle another continent. The toffles too, had a growing population, and were seeking new places to settle. A conflict was bound to arise sooner or later. And while the toffles had the edge when it came to weapons of war, they were wary of the saiyans' ability to manipulate energy. Energy being, after all, an area that the toffles were not very adept at.

The peace held for another century when the flames of a brief, but bitter war, roared to life. Skyrocketing populations and dwindling resources led to the inevitable result of bloodshed. Though the saiyans wreaked havok with their abilities it was the toffle's technology that allowed them to come out on top, and the saiyans once again were nearly extinguished.

Those that survived were taken captive and put to work repairing the damage they had wrought. The saiyans feared that they would be murdered after their labor was done, but the toffles had found the saiyans physical attributes to be incredibly useful. So instead of death they were enslaved.

For more than three hundred years the saiyans were bound by their masters. Only the strongest were allowed to have offspring, and soon the great minds of the saiyan race were no more. All that remained were warriors. Forced into labor, or to fight one another to the death for the amusement of their keepers.

But this selective breeding of the saiyans had an unintended side effect. It forced a backward step in the saiyans' evolution. Making them inherently bloodthirsty, ruthless, and brutal. It also unleashed a power that the saiyans themselves had forgotten before they ever left their home world.

The night of the full moon was a celebration for the toffles. A sight they saw but once in a lifetime, for it occurred only once every hundred years. On that night, the toffles realized their doom. On that night, they reaped what they had sewn. And as the moon rose into the night sky, veiled by clouds, the people of Aldan waited in anticipation. When the clouds parted, however, they got something they did not expected. The saiyans stared up at the moon, and began to change.

Their breathing came in raspy heaves, their eyes changed from their typical coal-like dark color, to angry red. But what happened next, the toffles found truly terrifying. The saiyans underwent an excruciating transformation, growing, towering over buildings, taking the form of giants apes. And the pain of it drove them nearly mad with rage. Most forgot who they were, and knew only how to destroy. When they awoke the next morning, blood-soaked and naked, the toffles were gone, and all that lay about them was devastation.

Over the weeks and months that followed, the saiyans pieced together what had happened to them. In the ruins of what had once been the toffles' civilization, survivors were found. Only a few at first, but eventually many hundreds were assembled. Some called for enslaving them, others execution. But there was one saiyan, one of the few who had remembered in full what had happened on the night of the full moon, who was more cunning than all and stronger than most, who thought he had a better idea.

He used his power to gain dominion over his rivals, and become a great leader among the saiyans. It was he who sentenced the toffles to exile. To take to the stars and wander aimlessly in hopes of finding a better world. The other saiyans delighted over the thought of the toffles slowly suffering as their ancestors had, and to reward this man for his power and his cunning, the saiyans made him their king. They re-named this world which was now theirs in his honor. His name, was Vegeta.


	2. Chapter 1 Dominion

Hurtling through the icy reaches of space, a white orb races through the void. In it's wake it leaves behind a raging conflict, and what now is home to some of the greatest warriors in the universe will soon become the funeral pyre of an entire race. The orb is a small space craft, and through the small circular window at it's front can be seen an infant. Helpless. Oblivious to the circumstances surrounding it's fate. All too soon the child will number among the last of it's kind, but for now his people fight against an enemy they cannot begin to comprehend…

King Vegeta, great-grandson of his namesake, awaits the arrival of Lord Freiza. With countless planets and races under his dominion, Freiza has taken a special interest in the saiyans. Unlike most inhabited worlds his fleet discovered, the saiyans had resisted his invasion with surprising effectiveness. Most noticeably on the centennial rising of the full moon. Instead of merely destroying them as he would usually have done, he put a cease to the invasion, and offered to allow the saiyans both to maintain control of their own planet, and have the opportunity to join him willingly. In so doing, he said, they would avoid certain destruction, but also have the opportunity to fight an endless array of powerful warriors from across the galaxy.

While the saiyans were far too confident in their own power (and too ignorant) to believe that they would ever be defeated by Frieza, they saw for themselves the chance to test their abilities in ways never before imagined. If fighting Frieza's armies were any indication, then this was too good to pass up.

The then current king made Frieza a counter offer. "If you can defeat my strongest warrior in battle, then we will join you." To this Frieza replied "Bring me your _five _strongest warriors, and if they can defeat my lieutenant, I shall oblige your request." The king believed that Frieza was joking, but when it became apparent he was not the king summoned his five strongest men.

Once they had gathered the king mocked "I have my men, where is this mighty lieutenant of yours?" A cold and wicked smile played across Friezas' face. "Dodoria, if you please." From the midst of Friezas' entourage emerged a rather rotund alien with pink skin and purple lips. From his forearms and head came spiky protrusions, and was adorned in blue armor of that same general design that all of Friezas' soldiers wore. The saiyans thought him laughable, albeit a grotesque sort of laughable. And though they did not know it, he was grotesque even by the standards of his own people.

"My lord." Dodoria spoke as he turned to face the diminutive tyrant, bowing. He then turned his attention to the five warriors across from him. He marked the contempt on their faces. As those who were to observe arranged themselves into a large ring, Dodoria moved into the center, while the saiyans positioned themselves around him.

The malevolent minion of Frieza licked his dry, slug-like lips with a pale tongue as he waited for word to commence the battle, and touched the strange device attached to his face. His scouter gave him a reading on the fighting powers of those closest to him. He smiled. King Vegeta stood at the edge of the ring, smugly anticipating the slaughter he was about to witness. His eyes met Friezas, and the alien gestured to Vegeta to do the honors. "Begin!" he shouted

Dodoria stood his ground as only the saiyan facing him charged. _Fools _he thought. _I'll teach them mot to take me lightly. _ Just as the saiyan warrior was about to strike, Dodoria threw out a straight punch to his attackers' face with incredible speed. A sickening crunch was heard as the mans' nose was broken. He flew backwards and fell to the ground unconscious. The relaxed expressions of the four remaining fighters evaporated as they realized that their adversary was not the push-over they expected. All the saiyans in the crowd had deeply surprised looks on their faces. Dodoria licked his lips again.

Now the saiyans within the ring began to circle their foe. Suddenly, two of them kicked off the ground and came flying at their opponent. Meanwhile the other two moved with amazing speed and vanished from sight. Just as the two advancing saiyans were about to reach their target, they too vanished an instant before the others reappeared in mid-air. They each unleashed an energy wave, a surging beam of light, from their outstretched hands. Faster than could be seen, Dodoria deflected the beams into the paths of his opponents at ground level. Both shots connected, and rendered their victims burned and incapacitated.

Enraged, the final two warriors converged. Gathering all of their energy, they focused their attacks into one massive, blazing orb. As the saiyans launched the destructive wave at Dodoria, he looked up at them, and opening his mouth, he issued from it a colossal blast of raging power. His assailants, and their attack, were completely engulfed. When the blinding light ebbed away, nothing was to be found of the two warriors. Dodoria then turned his gaze toward the three fallen fighters on the ground. With his hands, and again his mouth, he rocked the makeshift arena with three simultaneous blasts, killing the helpless men.

The saiyans who looked on were shocked. This bloated freak had just killed the five most powerful warriors of their entire race, and he hadn't even moved from the spot he still stood! King Vegeta was in disbelief. If one of Friezas' lieutenants could do _this_, then how powerful was Frieza himself?! He knew then that his people had never had a chance of defeating the alien conqueror, and that only by his mercy had they lived at all. To refuse his offer would be beyond foolish. It would be suicidal.

Eighty years had passed since that day, and King Vegeta, son of the King who submitted to Frieza's demands, prepared to receive him as a guest.

As Friezas' guards entered, King Vegeta and his son the prince rose from their seats in greeting. As the small, horned alien himself advanced into the throne room, all of the saiyans dropped to one knee and bowed their heads. "Rise, my friend" said Frieza to the king. "All hail Lord Frieza!" shouted Vegeta. The saiyans rose, balling their right hands into fists and putting them to their chests in salute, crying "Hail!"

The alien moved toward the throne and seated himself, taking in his surroundings. On either side he was flanked by his lieutenants, Zarbon & Dodoria. "For many years your people have served me faithfully in their duty, and you have been richly rewarded." began Frieza. "Yes my lord" replied Vegeta. "Indeed, you seem be doing very well for yourselves, and your race grows in both power and ability, not to mention wealth."

Something in the way Frieza said this made Vegeta uneasy. "My Lord, all of our success is due solely to the favor you have shown us" Vegeta answered, inclining his head in a nod to the alien.

"Yes…" began Frieza. "At any rate, I didn't come here to exchange pleasantries. In recent years my empire has expanded greatly, in no small part due to the efforts of your people, and I've decided that I'm so impressed that I'm going to take one of your most promising fighters as my new officer. "It would be an honor to the entire saiyan race, my lord." replied Vegeta. Frieza smiled. "I'm glad we're in agreement Vegeta. Have your son make whatever preparations are required. I want him transferred to my ship before the end of tomorrow." "My son?" Vegeta said, astonished. "But he's just a boy."

"Yes. There isn't a problem with that, _is _there?"

"N…No my lord. No. Of course there isn't."

"Good." Turning to the young saiyan, Frieza spoke, "I look forward to continuing your training most eagerly Prince Vegeta."

"Yes, my lord." responded the prince, bowing.


	3. Chapter 2 : Full Circle

Chapter 2 - Full Circle

Four years had passed since Prince Vegeta had come into the service of the galactic tyrant, Frieza. Now a young man , the brash warrior was earning great renown as a skilled and powerful fighter. On each mission he embarked on for Frieza, he threw himself into the fiercest battles. Always he conquered, growing stronger and faster with every fight. But no matter how hard he tried, he was always lagging behind Frieza and his officers. More than anything, Vegeta yearned to be the greatest. To be the most powerful in all the universe, and to reign. It was his only goal. For the present, however, he could do nothing but obey Friezas' orders.

While returning from a mission of little importance, Vegetas' ship was forced to pass through an uncharted solar system in order to bypass a massive ion storm. The star itself was in the final stages of it's life, dying slowly. According to his ships' instruments, the star had only begun to decay relatively recently. Perhaps within the last two-thousand years or so. It also looked like the fifth planet in the system had once lain inside the habitable zone. That planet was now a worthless hunk of frozen rock, though it was remotely possible that something might have managed to survive. That was, of course, if there had been anything there to begin with.

Having nothing better to do until the storm passed, Vegeta decided to take a closer look and brought his ship within range for thorough scans. He held out little hope of picking up any life signs, let alone anything that resembled a civilization, so he was that much more surprised by what he did find…a power source. Could a technologically capable species be enduring those conditions? No. In the end, he concluded that only one group of people who would try establish an outpost so far from established routes. The Vorr Pirates.

The Vorr were a technologically advanced (and supposedly powerful) race that Frieza had made it his hobby to erase from existence after years of failing to conquer them. Frieza himself had gone to their planet with half of his fleet and most of his armies in an effort to wipe out the Vorr permanently, although a handful of ships managed to escape.

The pirates, all that remain of the Vorr, were led by a man named Bojack. Constantly harassing Friezas' empire with hit and run attacks, they had a knack for wreaking havoc and disappearing before reinforcements could arrive to overwhelm them. Though Vorr ships were a match for Friezas', they were on the loosing end when it came to numbers. The other advantage Frieza had was that it was rumored his species could survive in the cold vacuum of space, so even if his ship were destroyed he would live on, something the Vorr certainly could not claim.

_Pirates or not_, Vegeta thought, _whoever is down there is about to get a nasty surprise!_

As his oblong vessel assumed an orbit around the planet, Vegeta prepared to enter his drop-pod. Garbed in thermal gear, he settled into the small spherical craft and interfaced his scouter with the ships scanners. Once the coordinates of the power source were set the pod jettisoned from the main ship and hurtled through the atmosphere like a meteor on it's descent.

The white sphere glowed red-hot as it plummeted, shaking violently from the turbulence. Finally Vegeta felt the convulsions cease and braced himself. He gritted his teeth and tightened his seat restraints. The seconds slowly passed and then…crash! He felt his bones jarring from the sudden impact. After a few moments he collected himself and attempted to open the pods hatch, only to find that it wouldn't budge. "Damn, what now!?" he shouted. He tried to open it again. He heard the servos in the control mechanism whine, then silence. Peering out of the round, red tinted window at the front of the pod he realized what the problem was.

While a drop-pod typically creates a large crater upon impact, his had simply embedded itself in the ice. Bracing his head and shoulders against the back of the pod, and his feet against the door-frame, he pushed. Vegeta felt and heard the ice crunching as the door slowly opened.

Even in the dim light of the dying star above, the reflection of it off the pure white landscape was nearly blinding. He put on a tinted visor to shield his eyes and made his way out into the tundra. In his white snow gear he was all but invisible, or would have been but for the exception of his jet black hair which stood up in long, tall spikes.

Consulting the scouter, Vegeta began to make his way to the coordinates. As the intense winds of the atmosphere had thrown his pod off-course, and he didn't fancy trying to fly in it himself. Vegeta was forced to walk more than three kilometers before reaching his destination. Making matters worse were the sporadic tremors, occasionally severe. The planet was highly unstable, and about half way to the power source he contemplated turning back and leaving. Nothing seemed to be going his way that day and he wasn't sure he felt like pressing his luck. Stubbornness won out however and he trudged on.

Hoping in vain for battle, what Vegeta got when he reached his goal was merely disappointment and mounting frustration. The top of a derelict and ice covered building lay before him.

Not wanting to walk all the way back to his ship, Vegeta used his scouter to interface with his drop-pod, but with the high winds it would take some time for it to arrive. While waiting, he activated his scouter as was a habit when he was bored. Once again, Vegeta was surprised.

He detected a signal. And more than that, a fully active computer network. Remarkably, it had been easy for his scouters' decryption algorithms to decipher. Soon, he had access to the buildings' schematics, and had located an entrance. The only problem was that it was about twenty meters directly below him, making it useless.

Intrigued, but impatient, Vegeta walked around to a side of the facility that faced the opposite direction of the wind. Then, raising his hand, he focused his energy into an orb and blasted the icy wall before him. After a couple more blasts he found that he reached the outer wall of the structure, and had put a big enough hole in it to gain entry.

Relieved to be out of the wind, he actually found the interior of the building to be in surprisingly good condition, in addition to a great deal warmer than the outside. Vegeta removed his snow visor and took in his surroundings. Emergency lighting was active, and a low hum could be heard.

Upon further investigation into the alien computer network, he learned that this was a geo-thermal power plant. The planet being frozen actually insulated the core, increasing the planets' internal temperature, thus allowing the plant to run at peak efficiency. It was also the cause of the seismic activity. The fact the installation had run for what must have been centuries, completely unattended, was nothing short of miraculous.

None of this really interested Vegeta though. What had caught his eye was the writing on various signs, and computer terminals around the room in which he stood. It was an ancient dialect, but there could be no mistaking it. The writing was saiyan.

Suddenly the gravity of his discovery hit home. He had found it. The birth planet of his entire race. Their history, their culture. Everything that was lost to the slow decay of time and the treachery of the Toffles, it was all right here.

Another tremor shook the ground beneath Vegeta. He could hear the metal superstructure of the plant groan as the vibrations intensified. Finally, the reverberation of the metal ceased as the tremor subsided. Vegeta accessed the plants' instrument readings. High pressure was building underground throughout the entire region. The whole area was a time-bomb. Sooner or later this place would erupt, and this might be the only opportunity to learn about the saiyans' past. So, he resolved to stay until he had gathered what he wanted.

After descending several levels, Vegetas' scouter notified him that his pod was nearing the facility's "entrance". Leaving his scouter to act as a relay, he made his way outside to use the pods' more sophisticated holographic interface to access the ancient computer network. He immediately began to download everything he could, but most of the files pertained to the running of the facility. Obviously, this was a local network made for the operation of the plant; not what he wanted at all. The ground quivered beneath him.

Vegeta attempted to locate other networks, assuming that if the geo-thermal plant was still active then there might be a larger, more public network in operation. After some time he found what he sought. A global network, or at least what remained of one. Though the plant had remained in surprisingly good condition, everything else he could find had fared far less well.

Though there were massive amounts of data stores within the network, most of it had been corrupted. He began to download everything that was salvageable. Although the bulk of the information was irretrievable, there were still thousands of terabytes of files to be downloaded.

Vegeta swore that if the planet remained intact long enough for a proper expedition to be sent, he would personally see to it that everything of value would be recovered. That was not to be however.

As Vegeta set his drop-pods' computer to begin the pre-launch checks for orbital ascent, he exited the craft and re-entered the facility to retrieve his scouter. Just as he had recovered it the most violent tremor yet had begun to rock the facility, and quickly escalated into a full scale seismic event. The sound of groaning metal soon gave way to screeching as girders were rent and torn. A support dropped from the ceiling, hitting Vegeta in the head and rendering him unconscious.

Several minutes later he awoke. His vision was blurred and it took him several moments to realize where he was. The violence of the quake had diminished, but a low rumble could still be felt through the floor. Suddenly, Vegeta realized the danger he was in. He stood up on shaky legs, barely able to stand. He felt the back of his head, where he now felt a throbbing pain, and saw his white gloves stained red.

He knew he had to escape, so he attempted to do so through the fastest means possible.

Raising his hands above him, Vegeta focused his energy. As he did this, however, his head swam and he nearly blacked-out. He felt like vomiting. Knowing he must have a severe concussion, the saiyan realized that trying that little stunt again was out of the question, as was flying. Tapping into his power took too much out of him at the moment, and he couldn't risk losing consciousness again.

The ground was shaking more violently in sporadic bursts, and leaving this place was the only thing that mattered now. So he started his slow ascent, stumbling repeatedly whenever the tremors intensified. Though his head throbbed and blackness threatened to overwhelm him, the determined Prince made his way to the upper level without further incident. The scene that greeted his eyes now, was far different than the one he had surveyed upon his arrival. Great fissures had opened in the distance, issuing black smoke and a fierce red light.

Again the ground shook. Without further delay, Vegeta climbed into his pod and sealed the hatch. The white sphere rocketed up from the surface, and after it docked with the main vessel Vegeta looked down to the planets surface to see the once white surface dotted with red. The planets' internal temperature had reached critical mass, and the pressure had finally been released.

Priceless data had been recovered and Vegeta would learn something from it that would change his life forever. But as the planets' surface raged below, he knew that all chances of future discoveries were lost.


	4. Chapter 3: Bardock

Chapter 3 - Bardock

Rygal VII: The latest in an endless string of worlds to be set in the sights of Frieza. Just another jewel he fancied, another system in his collection. What _was_ different about this world were two things. One, the native inhabitants had developed technology surpassing even that of Friezas' forces. And though not a space faring race, the people of Rygal VII possessed weaponry and engine technology unlike anything ever encountered by Friezas' empire. Secondly, it was the first world to be conquered by an entirely saiyan invasion, or at least, after all of the capitol ships that were sent had been blasted out of orbit.

The saiyan king Vegeta had proposed a possible, albeit reckless, solution. He would bring a carrier just outside of Rygal VII's weapons range and deploy thousands of drop-pods. Released in waves, and flying full throttle, the tiny craft would be difficult to shoot down. Once planetside, the rygeans' orbital cannons would be of no avail. Then the saiyans could destroy their defenses, allowing the fleet to move in for the kill.

After some consideration, Frieza consented to the plan. After all, he had nothing to lose. If the saiyans were destroyed, then their over-inflated egos would be taken down a notch. If they succeeded, then the defenses would fall, as would Rygal VII. All things considered, a win-win scenario.

"Tora, Fasha!" Shouted Bardock "Prep your pods, we're almost at the co-ordinates. Borgos, wake that slug Shugesh. And tell him if he doesn't get up I'll toss him out the airlock." Aboard the carrier "Bloodlust", the saiyan invasion force was making ready to mobilize. As final preparations were being made, a call was heard from the far end of the corridor. "Commander on deck!" All of the soldiers stood at attention. Emerging from the fore hatch was a gargantuan man.

Eight feet tall, covered in muscle, and completely bald (a rare sight among saiyans), the mans name was Nappa. He was a high ranking general in the saiyan army. Most of the men onboard knew him by his reputation, which was nothing short of being a savage, bloodthirsty killing machine. "Damn Borgos, he's even bigger than you." whispered Fasha. _Who's the punk? _wondered Bardock. Next to Nappa stood a young man, sixteen at the oldest.

"Listen up maggots!" bellowed Nappa. "This" he said gesturing to the youth "is Prince Vegeta. He will be my second in command during this operation, and you will follow his orders without question. I hear otherwise and you'll be flying home without a ship, got it!?

Bardock had heard of the prince. Everyone had. Not even a year ago he had happened upon the saiyans' ancestral home-world. It was his actions that led to the discovery of a great legend. A legend about a long forgotten power. A power that no saiyan had attained for two millenia. The term for it had not been recovered, but these ultimate warriors, these "Super Saiyans", were supposed to posses power that exceeded anything. Even Frieza.

Many of his race believed the legend, and also that if any of their race were to ascend to that level, it would be the Prince. They called it destiny. Bardock dismissed it as a fairy tale.

Nappa and Vegeta made their way from one end of the deck to the other, inspecting the troops. Bardock smirked. _So that's the prince eh? Looks a little short for a legendary super warrior._ As soon as Vegeta passed him, Bardock activated his scouter. _Five-thousand huh? Not bad for a little pipsqueak, but hardly anything to write home about. _That's what Bardock thought. What escaped him was a quiet, yet condescending, "Hmph"

Vegeta halted. Turning round, he marched back toward the man who'd made the noise.

The young prince stopped, sizing the man up. Middling height, cut down body-armor, and the characteristic spiky black hair and dark eyes of any saiyan. He already knew that everyone on this deck was a low ranking soldier of little social standing.

Vegeta stared coldly at the man. "Did I do something to amuse you soldier? Because it sounded to me like you found something funny when you checked your scouter." Bardock lowered his eyes to meet the Princes'. "It would have been funny, if the General had been joking about allowing a kid to play around on a battlefield."

Nappa made no effort to control his rage and hit Bardock in the gut with a hard punch, knocking the wind out of him. "Insolent bastard! Beg the Princes' forgiveness before I crush your skull!" As Bardock fell to his hands and knees, gasping for air, Vegeta knelt down waiting for the man to catch his breath. After a brief fit of coughing Bardock spoke again. "Y *cough* you punch like a woman" he spat. "Bardock, no!" cried Tora

Nappa quivered with fury, but Vegeta howled with laughter. The furious saiyan general was about to carry out his threat, but Vegeta stopped him. "Bardock eh? Well Bardock, I've though of a suitable reward for your cheek." Turning to his companion the prince said "Correct me if I'm wrong Nappa, but isn't everyone on this deck supposed to go down in the fifth wave?" Nappa nodded. Vegeta flashed a sinister smile. "Well then, seeing as how you're itching for a fight so badly, I'm going to let you go first."

Bardock gave a defiant look. "Good, I hate long waits." Vegeta merely laughed again "I'm glad, but you might not find yourself so eager when the shooting starts. Nobody likes being vaporized before they even land. But maybe that wouldn't be such a bad fate. I mean, you're only a low class after all.

Vegeta had expected the man to lunge at him for the insult, but he simply glared. "I'll be!" Vegata declared. "Your smarter than I gave you credit! Turning on his heel, the prince strutted down the corridor followed by Nappa. As soon as they were gone, Tora and Borgos helped Bardock on his feet. Everyone else resumed their preparations.

Tora looked at his friend earnestly. "That wasn't a wise thing to do you know." "Who ever said _I_ was wise?" Bardock replied. "Shugesh shook his head, chuckling "You punch like a woman…" "That reminds me" said Fasha coldly as she strode up to Bardock and hit him in the gut again, forcing him to double over. "Yeah," Bardock coughed. "I don't know why he got all bent out of shape. It was a compliment." His crew laughed as they settled into their pods.

As the hatches sealed, a countdown displayed on their scouters and began to tick away. Five minutes. After that they'd go out as the first wave. Despite loving the thrill of battle, nobody was glad to be going in first under these circumstances. They'd be launched straight into the fresh defenses of a tenacious enemy with superior weapons. If they made it down in one piece…then the fun would begin. But the anti-aircraft fire they had to penetrate would be intense, and the First wave would take the heaviest casualties during the descent, and nobody knew what was in store for them on the ground. In five minutes, they'd be catapulted straight into hell.


	5. Chapter 4: Breaking and Entering

Chapter 4

Breaking and Entering

Shockwaves rocked the hull of Bardocks' pod as the others around him were targeted and destroyed. As part of the first wave his mission was simple, to seek out and disable all anti-aircraft batteries in the area, allowing subsequent waves to land unmolested. As it turned out, the rygeans' targeting systems were just as advanced as their weapons. At the present rate the there wouldn't be much left of the first wave by the time they made planet-fall.

As the sky of Rygal VII blossomed with the fiery explosions of the invading craft,

Bardock kept his eyes fixed on the altitude gauge in front of him. Steadily the numbers ticked away, but not fast enough for his liking. As far as he was concerned, the sooner this ride was over, the better. He checked his squads status...all still alive. But when he checked on the rest of the wave he saw that fewer than half remained.

At three-thousand feet the AA fire began to thin noticeably. By fifteen-hundred the guns had ceased firing. It was a moonless night as several hundred of the pods made it to the surface, smashing through buildings like meteors.

Impact craters dotted the landscape when the invaders emerged from their pods. Some took to the air, their rage made manifest by the auras that burned around them, raining destruction on everything in sight with blasts of energy.

Bardock surveyed his surroundings. Despite knowing that their target was the rygean capitol city, he was momentarily awestruck by the massive skyscrapers that rose around him like pillars holding up the sky. He also noted that the city was obviously in a state of emergency. Every street was deserted, warning lights flashed, and sirens wailed.

Checking his scouter, Bardock saw that the rest of his crew were already en route. Once regrouped they locked in their scouters onto the nearest AA battery and began moving toward it. The five saiyans skimmed the ground in a loose wedge formation and were closing in on their target as a feeling of unease started creeping up on them. Tora, Bardocks closest friend and second in command, was first to break the silence.

"Hey Bardock…"

"What is it?"

"We've been down here long enough, so where the hell are these guys?"

"Yeah, I thought we were supposed to have a real fight on our hands. Are they just gonna let us trash the place or what?" interrupted Shugesh.

Bardocks eyes darted from side to side, "I doubt that. They've probably got a pretty good idea of what we're up to; it's only a matter of time before they hit back. They're just waiting for the right moment.

Moments before reaching their objective a large power level appeared on their scouters, quickly diverging into five separate signals. Fasha, whose eyesight was keenest, spotted a second squad a little more than half a kilometer ahead. "C'mon, if we don't hurry up there won't be any left for us!" Saiyan females were just as competent in a fight as the men, and had a tenacity all their own. Fasha was no exception.

Putting on a burst of speed she quickly pulled ahead of the others before anyone could stop her. She'd nearly reached the other squad when a barrage of narrow energy beams streamed from a nearby building. Two members of the other squad were killed instantly, the rest scattered. Phasing in and out of sight, the second squad dodged the strobing beams of energy, left with no time to counter attack. Fasha had stopped short when the ambush had been sprung. Raising a hand she unleashed an energy wave and blasted away the side of the building just as Bardock and the others caught up to her.

Bardock appreciated the thrill of the hunt, but wanted to put Fasha in a recovery ward for breaking rank. That would have to wait, however, as a more pressing matter came to hand. Though the fire from the rygeans particle weapons had ceased, the assailants had not been killed.

Through the flames and smoking debris, small points of red light could be seen rising from the rubble. Black figures with glowing eyes stepped out from the ruined building, they're faces were featureless. Twelve in total stood before them. The saiyans collectively activated their scouters to assess their opponents, but the only readings any of them got were of their comrades. Borgos moved closer to Tora, knitting his brows.

"My scouter's not picking up anything from them."

"Neither is mine."

"What's the deal? Every living thing has _some _energy, not matter how weak they are."

Bardock turned his head slightly, keeping his eyes on the black figures. "That's the problem, they're not alive."

"What?"

"All our intelligence says the rygeans are weak. There's no way they'd have been able to keep up with the others' movements with the kind of power levels we detected from orbit. No…these things are synthetic."

"You mean they're machines?"

"Yeah, so be careful. We don't know what they're capable of yet, but you can be sure they're fast."

Bardock assumed a offensive stance and the others followed suit. He was about to charge when the machine-soldiers came at the saiyans with incredible speed. Before they had time to think, the eight saiyan warriors were engaged in a vicious battle. Bardock and the other squad leader fought two foes at once, everyone else had their hands full with just one.

Each fighter was on the defensive, furiously moving their limbs to block and deflect the machines' blows. Borgos roared as he grabbed one of his opponents arms, spinning round and hurling it into one of it's counterparts. His enemy recovered before he could move in for the kill and counterattacked, delivering a powerful kick to his chest. Borgos was sent flying into a distant building, smashing through the wall like a cannonball. In the blink of an eye he was rocketing back toward his foe and the melee resumed.

Fasha and Tora were fighting together, switching between opponents in an attempt to throw them off balance. The two saiyans moved in concert, Toras' strength a perfect counterpoint to Fashas' speed. Bardock was both the best fighter and most powerful of the group. As the battle progressed his energy began to rise.

He took to the air hoping to leave his adversaries below and blast them from above, but was immediately pursued. The machine-warriors grabbed Bardock, pinning his arms against his sides. He registered a strange sensation a moment before agonizing pain tore through his body. The sound of his screaming split the air as high voltage currents surged through him, flooding his mind with animal rage. His energy level spiked, creating a shockwave; the force of which sent the machines careening into the buildings on either side of him. As they crashed into the walls Bardock threw out his arms, unleashing two massive blasts of energy, destroying his foes.

Twin clouds of dust, smoke, and flaming debris enveloped Bardock for a moment before he descended with incredible speed to the fight below. Rocketing toward Tora and Fasha, he dropped behind the enemies they fought. Grabbing them by the backs of their heads as he landed, he smashed them face first into the ground, crushing their skulls.

Before Tora and Fasha realized what had happened Bardock had blown past them in a blur, his aura burning sapphire. Moving faster than his comrades' eyes could see, he destroyed the machines one by one with ruthless efficiency. In moments, the synthetic warriors were reduced to scrap and molten slag.

The other squad leader had destroyed one of the attackers, while the others retreated at the sight of the enraged Bardock. The second squads' leader sent them a parting give in the form of a narrow beam of energy, piercing two of the fleeing machines.

Bardock stood amid the wreckage of his fury, chest heaving, his aura still blazing. Tora took a step closer, "Bardock, you alright?" Bardock raised his head, exhaling deeply as the energy surrounding him dissipated. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Better than these bastards anyhow." he kicked at the shattered remains at his feet as he spoke.

Shugesh grunted as he emerged from a pile of rubble. "How's about we get a move on before more of those things…" Shugesh was cut off by the sound of trampling feet. Hundreds of the synthetic soldiers were pouring into the streets from the direction of the AA battery. The three other saiyans joined up with Bardock and his crew.

Their leader strode up to Bardock. "Get to the guns while we take care of these toy soldiers." Tora looked at the man in disbelief, "Are you insane!? They'll tear you apart!" The other squad leader shrugged, "We'd be dead already if it weren't for you guys. Consider it returning the favor." Tora shook his head, "You can't be…" "Tora!" Bardock snapped. "They know what they're doing." Bardock checked his scouter for his target. Before taking to the air he turned to look at the man. "What's your name?" The man glanced up and smirked. "Kakarot." "Kakarot, huh? Well, I'll have to remember that. I'd wish you luck, but I don't think this is turning out to be your day."

Kakarot glanced up to meet Bardocks' gaze. "Never had much use for luck anyhow."

Bardock looked into the night sky, "Let's go." The five saiyans took to the air, shooting straight up. Below they heard the rising cries of Kakarot and his two remaining squad mates as they gathered their energy. Bardock could see their power levels increasing on his scouter.

A thunderous blast, accompanied by brilliant light, rocked the ground beneath as Kakarot and his crew unleashed everything they had. When the blast subsided the three signal were gone, along with scores of the machines. They had given Bardock and his crew the time they needed to escape, and continue the mission.

It took only a few moments for the battery to come into sight. "Alright, this is it!" Bardock declared. "When I give the word I want you all to rain down hell on these things, I've got the gun." They flew on for several more seconds, "Screw this up, and the second wave isn't coming, then we're dead. Go!" As the squad split, the ground beneath became roiling sea of flame as the saiyans focused their power into waves of pure destructive energy.

Particle beams strobed through the air in answer, but even the rygeans' targeting systems couldn't lock onto such small objects at that altitude. Closing in on the towering AA battery, Bardock put on a sudden burst of speed. Checking his scouter for the weapons' power core, he pulled back his right arm, readying his best attack. Focusing his energy into a pulsing blue sphere, he hurled it at the gun like a javelin, watching it race through the air. From the ground it looked as though a comet was falling from the sky.

Time seemed to stand still for Bardock in the moment just before his attack collided with its' mark, then…impact. First blue, then red, flames erupted from the tower like a volcano. Upon detonation, the reactor core sent out a massive shockwave followed by a wall of flame, leveling everything for a half-kilometer.

He only allowed himself a moment of satisfaction before consulting his scouter again. Twelve of the eighteen AA guns had been eliminated, time to call in the party crashers. Descending into the midst of the destruction they had wrought, the saiyans activated their beacons, signaling the other waves to begin their drops.

Borgos laughed as he gave Bardock a congratulatory slap on the back, nearly knocking him over. "Not a bad shot, you'll be as good as I am soon!" Fasha rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Yeah Borgos, you're a real inspiration to us all." For several minutes Tora and Bardock stared through the shattered and burning landscape about them. Shugesh took a seat on the carbonized husk of a fallen synthetic soldier.

"I wouldn't relax yet if I were you." said Tora. Shugesh stretched, yawning, "And why's that?" "Because…" Bardock interuppted, "Things are about to get ugly."

Through the smoke and burning ruins, beyond the perimeter of the desolation, countless points of glowing red light could be seen in every direction. They were surrounded. Shugesh shook his head as he stood. "Don't these guys know when they're beat?" Bardock chuckled, "Evidently they're not getting the message; so I guess we'll just have to beat some more sense into their thick heads."

The red lights began to move, drawing nearer with frightening speed. Bardock yelled, his aura blazing anew despite his weariness, the rest of his crew followed suit. Preparing themselves for the coming onslaught they gathered their energies, waiting for the machines to get in close to take out as many as they could in one final blast.

Just as the saiyans were about to lunge at their enemies, Bardock received a signal on his scouter. "Well well, still alive low-level? I have to admit I'm impressed. Don't think you're going to have all the fun though, you're about to see what it looks like when a saiyan elite takes the stage." Bardock laughed out loud at the sound of Prince Vegetas' voice, "Never thought I'd be happy to hear from that little punk." He turned his attention back to the advancing machines." All right you pieces of junk, c'mon!"

The black night sky became suffused with a fiery glow as thousands more of the spherical drop-pods punched through the atmosphere. All but a handful of the synthetics halted to turn their weapons skyward.

A wicked grin played across Bardocks' face. _This, is gonna be fun._


	6. Chapter 5: Red Eye

Chapter 5

Red Eye

Vegeta had been monitoring the progress of the first wave, and one squad in particular, from the bridge of the _Bloodlust. _

"How many of the guns have they taken out General?"

"Nine." replied Nappa.

"Hmph. They're even slower than I thought they'd be. Perhaps we should go relieve them of their burden."

"We might as well, most of them are dead anyway. I doubt they'll get much further." Turning to a nearby member of the crew he said, "Prepare all pods for launch."

Once Vegeta had sealed the hatch of his pod he pulled up a holographic display, cycling through the various feeds being sent from the scouters of squad leaders who were still alive on the planets' surface. He kept switching between several soldiers, all of whom seemed to be facing the same problem. They had been engaged by what appeared to be warriors in black.

The prince found himself momentarily perplexed when he checked the power readouts of the rygean fighters, there was nothing detected. This quandary was soon solved however, when he stopped to watch the feed from Bardocks' scouter. After seeing Bardocks' adversaries ripped apart he knew what they were up against. He also found himself surprised at the man's power. _He's not too bad when he gets fired up._

The outer doors to the pod bays opened, revealing the inky blackness of space and the light of the Rygal VIIs' cities glowing brightly. As he continued to observe the invasion he understood that the rygeans' technology was even more advanced than previously believed. _Looks like I might actually break a sweat._

A smaller screen appeared in the pods' display. Nappa had opened a com-channel. Vegeta accepted the link, and the image large saiyans' brutal face snapped onto the screen. "Lord Vegeta, we will be launching momentarily." Vegeta gave a curt nod, and the com-channel closed.

A sudden burst of acceleration caused Vegetas' stomach to lurch as his pod, and the others, were propelled from the carrier. He continued to observe the teams' planetside, and watched as Bardock destroyed his target mere seconds before the remaining guns opened fire. The arrogant youth paid little attention to the strobing lights as several pods around him exploded. He knew beyond doubt that destiny had much greater things in store for him than to die so mundanely.

Red flames began to flare up around his pod as it entered the planets' atmosphere. On his display he saw Bardocks' squad, and the others that remained, surrounded by droves of the rygean fighting machines. Vegeta found himself amused by Bardocks' predicament. _I think I'll just have a little chat with my over-bold friend. _He opened a channel to Bardock's scouter, "Well well, still alive low-level? I have to admit I'm impressed. Don't think you're going to have all the fun though, you're about to see what it looks like when a saiyan elite takes the stage."

Through the round window of his craft, Vegeta could see a ring of scorched ground and burning, broken buildings. The aftermath of Bardocks' attack. From his altitude, it looked as though the entire area were swarming with insects, all moving to the center. The movement ceased however, and seconds later shots from the machines' particle rifles answered in challenge to the saiyan assault. Vegeta altered his course for the heart of the machines' ranks.

A particle beam passed through Vegetas' pod, and nearly his face, causing several warnings to pop-up on his display. Sparks crackled from the hole behind him, and an electrical fire had started, filling the cabin with smoke within moments. Cool and detached, Vegeta raised his palm and blasted the door off.

Leaning out the front of the plummeting craft, smoke billowing out the gaping hole he'd created, Vegeta felt the wind whipping at his face as he surveyed the scene beneath him. Channeling his power, he became engulfed in blue-white flames as his aura ignited. As he neared the ground, the prince unleashed his energy, the force of which tore his pod to pieces.

Immediately he set to work, his arms pumping like pistons, delivering a rapid fire barrage of energy blasts that came down like a hailstorm of death. He laughed as the machine were scattered or destroyed. Other pods shot past him, striking the ground seconds afterward.

Like all saiyans, Vegeta reveled in the thrill of battle. After his initial salvo he raced to the ground, kicking, punching, ripping, and smashing everything he could reach. He heard a booming, guttural laugh that could only be Nappa in the vicinity as he too joined in the slaughter. Vegeta, along with the rest of the saiyans, tore through the rygean force without mercy, their shouts, yells, and mad laughter punctuated by the occasional explosion.

Things seemed to be going well for the saiyans, and it appeared as though the city would be taken in a short time, when a faint roaring sound was heard. Craning their necks, the saiyans caught glimpses of light among the passing clouds. More of the synthetics were dropping in from the air.

Nappa scoffed, "Don't they get it yet? It doesn't matter how many of these tin cans they throw at us, we'll just keep crushing them." The hulking warrior directed an energy wave towards one of the machines. When the light from the blast subsided, however, the machine was unharmed. For a brief moment a red sphere of energy could be seen encapsulating the artificial soldier, it had erected a shield to protect itself from the blast.

Vegeta, who was near at hand, tried his luck at destroying the new machine, but his was no better. He approached Nappa, "I guess we're going to have to do this the old fashioned way."

While the saiyans were content to await the machines' arrival, the machines wasted no time in opening fire on the invading saiyans. Soon the air became thick with particle beams, making it impossible for all of the saiyans to evade them. When the machines got close to the ground, retro rockets fired from recessed apertures about their bodies. Upon landing what met the eyes of Nappa, Vegeta, and the others was an unexpected sight indeed.

Standing nearly three meters high, the new machine variant was considerably taller than the standard version deployed thus far. More unusual were it's four arms, two of which held blazing energy blades, and their singular round eyes. Scores of the enhanced drones dropped onto the battlefield as hundreds more of the standard models rushed in on foot.

The new synthetics lunged at the saiyans with incredible speed. Vegeta saw three of his comrades cut in half with a single strike before barely managing to avoid the same fate. The tide of the battle turned quickly as the cyclopean machines tore into the saiyan invasion. Energy blasts were of no avail against their shields, and taking to the air was too dangerous with the smaller machines particle rifles in play. And where it took four or five of the saiyans to destroy one of the machines, it took only one machine to inflict a dozen casualties within moments. Vegeta and the rest quickly found themselves being forced into the center of the battlefield, herded like cattle.

As the charred wreckage of the once towering artillery tower lay still burning about them, the saiyans numbers were being whittled down. Vegeta threw out energy waves in vain when he noticed something. The machines had to stop moving when their shields went up, and that gave him an idea.

As one of the machines rushed him he raised his hands above his head and created a powerful orb. But instead of releasing it, he left it suspended it in mid-air as he moved as fast as he could, phasing out of sight. Appearing in front of the synthetic warrior, he crouched, simultaneously summoning the orb to him. Before the drone could strike it stopped to raise its' shield, with Vegeta inside. The young saiyan prince bellowed savagely as he unleashed his energy, blasting his foe into pieces.

Vegeta was able to destroy three more of the machines in this fashion, always changing where he appeared before striking. But as he prepared to attack his fifth, the drones adapted. When he appeared next to the machine this time, it did not raise its' shield. Instead, it discarded its' energy blades, and Vegeta felt cold hands grip his head like a vise. In a flash the drone twisted him around, directly into the path of his own attack.

Searing pain fired across Vegetas' synapses as the orb collided, scorching his body armor and burning the back of his neck. The one-eyed synthetic, still grasping Vegetas' head with one pair of hands, delivering several sharp blows to his mid-section with the other. Then grabbing his wrists it jerked his arms outward, trying to tear his arms off.

Blood gushed from Vegetas' mouth as he screamed. Nappa, even larger than the machines the saiyans now fought, rushed to the prince's aid, but was brought down by a particle beam through his chest. Excruciating torment flooded Vegetas' mind as his shoulders dislocated, but in the moment before being dismembered he was saved.

Three particle beams flashed, piercing the machines' shield and then it's head, legs, and torso. A vicious yell erupted from a behind as the drones' shield dissipated. The energy blades it had cast aside were raked down its' sides, slicing off all four arms. A tall saiyan appeared behind Vegeta as he fell unconscious and carried him off, while two others picked up Nappa.

Vegata awoke from the fresh pain of having his shoulders put back in their sockets. The sounds of battle still surrounded him in a cacophony of screams, shouts, explosions, and the wet smack of blood-soaked flesh being pummeled. Vegeta opened his eyes, his vision was blurred, "How long was I out?" A vaguely familiar voice replied, "Only a minute, though you'll probably wish you hadn't woken up at all."

Vegetas' vision was clearing. He found himself in a deep ditch, Nappa laid at his side with his body armor removed and his chest bandaged. Five others were in the ditch with them, including the man who had spoken. Vegeta recognized him immediately as the mouthy low class warrior from the _Bloodlust, _Bardock.


	7. Chapter 6: Dread Light

Chapter 6

Dread Light

Before, they'd been taken by surprise. But this time, Bardock and his crew were ready for the rygeans' soldier-machines. The majority of the synthetics had stopped to target the incoming drop-pods, while around twenty continued to close in on the clustered group of saiyans groundside. All five of them tensed, getting ready to make their move. Bardock could sense his teams' anticipation. "Not yet…"

In perfect sync, the drones surrounded the saiyans in a uniform ring. As they brought their rifles to bear Bardock shouted, "Now!" In unison the saiyans vanished from sight, only to reappear several feet above where they had been, narrowly evading the particle beams. Even as the shots crisscrossed in the empty space they found new marks in the other synthetics, disabling several.

The strobe of the rygean weapons flashed like lightning as the incoming pods were targeted. Bardock knew that in less than a minute this whole area would be a full fledged war zone. With the machines' attention diverted skyward it was a momentary free for all once the remaining drones that had attacked them were dealt with.

Borgos used his massive size to his advantage; "killing" one of the machines, then proceeding to use its' body as a cudgel, swinging it into it's fellows. Fasha sped between her enemies, knocking them over as Shugesh followed up with energy blasts. Tora, being perhaps the most practical, simply hoisted two of the rygean rifles and started doing some target practice.

As for Bardock, he lunged into the fray with reckless abandon, aura still blazing. His punches crumpled torsos, kicks decapitated, and he finished up with double handed energy wave that carved a three meter wide rut into the soil, running the length of the battlefield.

At that moment his scouter picked up a large power level in the sky, rapidly approaching nine-thousand. He turned to look and saw a pod explode in mid-air, then a deluge of blasts rain down onto the battlefield. Bardock smirked, _I gotta find out who that guy is. _The airborne warrior descended, and when Bardock got a glimpse of him, he couldn't believe his eyes. It was the Prince.

Bardock merely scoffed as he turned his attention back to the business at hand, _Little punk hasn't even hit the ground and he's trying to upstage me. Well, I'm up for the challenge if you are kid. _The battle hardened warrior leapt back into the fight with renewed ferocity, nothing withstanding his assault.

Where not twenty minutes ago it had looked to Bardock like he and his crew were dead meat, the arrival of his allies had turned the situation into a wholesale slaughter of the synthetic warriors. Or it was until rygeans sent in the heavy hitters.

With the arrival of the Cyclopic drones came another shift in the tide of battle. These new machines were faster, stronger, and ultimately more dangerous than the previous ones. Regrouping with the rest of his team, the quintet began working together, destroying the machines with a concerted effort. Unfortunately, whenever they found a strategy that worked, the machines would adapt. This made it impossible to destroy more than two or three of the drones before having to employ a new method, and there were hundreds to deal with, in addition to the lesser drones.

More and more the saiyans were pressed into the center of the field, and Bardock and his crew found themselves near the prince. Bardock caught fleeting glances of the boy as he destroyed several of the robotic warriors. _Clever move kid, but that won't work for long._ No sooner had he finished that thought than one of the drones grabbed Vegeta and forced him into the path of his own blast.

Bardock was about to step in when Nappas' guttural roar erupted as the mammoth saiyan leapt to the aid of the prince. _Good, looks like tiny has things…shit! _Nappa fell to the ground from a well place particle beam. "Shugesh, Fasha, Borgos! Rifles! Tora, your with me!"

The three saiyans each scooped up a fallen rifle and opened fire on the powerful machine, piercing its' shield and damaging it heavily. Bardock came up from behind with the energy blades the drone had dropped, cutting off its' arms with two simultaneous strokes. Tora took hold of the prince while Shugesh and Borgos hauled away the injured Nappa. Fasha continued to fire her rifle as the others retreated.

Once the injured were taken to relative safety, Tora began to administer medical care. Starting with the more gravely injured, he dressed Nappas' wounds first, before moving on to Vegeta.

In the trench they occupied, the prince awake from a sharp pain. He looked around, bleary eyed. He could still hear the battle raging all around him. "How long was I out?" he asked. Bardock was crouched on one knee, his forearm laying across the other. "Only a minute, though you'll probably wish you hadn't woken up at all." The prince continued to gaze for a moment before settling his eyes on Bardock.

Bardock locked eyes with the boy, "Those were some pretty good moves kid, up until that thing beat the hell out of you." Vegetas' eyes narrowed, "You saved me?" Bardock nodded.

Vegeta turned his head and scoffed, "I never asked for your help, nor did I need it."

"Yeah, it looked like you had everything under control."

"I was about take that thing out when you losers butted-in!"

"Oh really, what were you gonna do, bleed on it once it ripped your arms off? Maybe it would have rusted after a while."

"Don't you dare speak to me that way peasant, you are addressing royalty!"

"Hmph, a royal pain in the ass. How about trying a little gratitude for us saving your neck?"

Vegeta growled, "How about I kill you instead?"

"If you want me dead you only have to wait, we're not gonna last much longer."

Tora and the others leaned over the edge of the ditch, using their commandeered rifles to take shots at the machines. Vegeta regarded them with contempt, "Using those toys? I suppose you can't help it if you're too weak to fight, but where's your pride?

Bardock just shook his head, "Pride in your race is one thing, kid. But letting it cloud your judgment only gets you killed. You'd do well to remember that."

"What's the point, didn't you just say we're as good as dead anyway."

"The way things are right now, yeah."

"Grrr, Damn it! If I could only get up in the air for a little without being shot down I could flatten this place!"

"Got something up your sleeve eh? Sounds like you'd need some time to build up the energy for an attack like that, and I don't think our friends out there are just gonna let you do that. Plus, there aren't enough of us left to hold em' off."

"Yes I know that you moron!"

"If we transformed we could squash these metal bastards, wouldn't you say Tora? Bardocks' friend looked at him in surprise, "Yeah but, I thought we were supposed to keep this place in one piece, and…" Shugesh interrupted, "Who gives a damn about what Frieza wants? Besides, he aint gettin' this place at all if we end up corpses!"

Vegeta rubbed his shoulders as he sat up "What are you idiots babbling about? There's no moon at all tonight, let alone a full one. We can't transform." Bardock cracked a wry smile, "Yeah, well we'll just see about that."

Fasha ducked down into the ditch, pulling Tora down with her, just dodging an energy blade. The machine jumped into the ditch and continued its' assault. It lunged at Bardock, swinging its' weapon at his face. He leaned back, but the tip of the burning blade left a deep cut in his left cheek. The heat from the weapon cauterized the wound, leaving a long, ragged scar. As it moved in for the killing blow Vegeta thrust his fist into the drones' side and released his energy, reducing the synthetic to hunk of scrap.

He turned to look at Bardock, "Now we're even, low-class, and if you've got some way of getting us out of this mess then you'd better do it now!" Fasha agreed, "I think the kid's got a point."

Getting to his feet Bardock grumbled, "Ya know kid, I think you and I actually agree for once. Now watch closely, after thinking up this little trick it took a long time to get it right."

Bradock held his hand in front of the princes' eyes, palm up. A small ball of energy began to form, expanding slowly. When it was about the size of his head it ceased to grow. Vegeta stared intently at the ball. Bardock smirked again, "Ready kid?" Pulling back his arm he hurled the ball skyward. Holding his hand aloft he allowed the ball to race up until it was nearly out of sight. Bardock closed his hand into a tight fist, and the ball detonated.

Expanding to enormous size, the ball hung in the air and illuminated the sky like a pale sun. Vegeta had shielded his eyes from the brilliant flash, and when he looked at those around him he was amazed by what he saw.

Their eyes, fixed on the ball, were turning crimson. Their breathing shallow and rasping. Nappas eyes had snapped open and he too began to exhibit the symptoms . The remaining saiyans, now fewer than two hundred strong, were transforming.

Vegeta smiled wide, and evil lust in his eyes as he glared at the radiant orb in the sky. It had begun.

The synthetic soldiers were momentarily disoriented by the blinding flash. Upon recovering they resumed their onslaught, but as the saiyans changed their power grew. Thick fur began to sprout all over their bodies, and their faces contorted into horrible, primitive shapes. Gradually at first, then more rapidly they increased in size. Soon they towered above the rygean drones.

Transformed, the saiyans let out a terrible roar that shook the very ground. The machines continued to attack, but the once lethal particle rifles now proved useless, and the deadly energy blades only served to further fuel the saiyans' primal rage.

With speed not to be believed of such gargantuan creatures, the surviving saiyans attacked everything in sight. Whenever they attacked one of cyclopic drones it would raise it spherical shield, only to be crushed in the hands of the rampaging monsters, or else under their feet.

Being one of the few with the ability to retain control of his mind while transformed, Vegeta made his way into the heart of the capitol city. Murderous intent was in his blood-red eyes as he stalked among the skyscrapers. With his senses heightened, he could hear the screams of the terrified rygeans hiding within the buildings.

Jumping up, he wrapped his legs around one of the buildings and proceeded to rip off it's roof. Within were gathered masses of huddled creatures, some screaming at the sight of him, others praying. Vegeta bared his razor sharp teeth, saliva dripping. In a deep, horrible voice he said, "I see you!" Opening his great mouth, he let loose a powerful blast from his gaping maw.

Erupting like a volcano, the blast tore through the building, vaporizing everyone and everything inside. When he was finished, all that remained was a smoking husk. The people inside were dead, and Vegeta moved on to another building, and then another. Other saiyans also began moving into the city, annihilating everything they saw.

The rygeans had sent a message of surrender to Friezas' fleet during the attack, begging them to stop the monsters from killing any more of their people. Frieza had responded personally saying, "I gladly accept your surrender, but unfortunately there's nothing I can do to stop them in this condition. Perhaps this will teach you to be more obedient in the future. As for the loss of life, you have my most heartfelt sympathies. I'm sure they would have made excellent subjects." He ended the message, there was no sympathy in his voice, only cold malevolence.

Hours passed before Bardocks' energy ball dissipated and the bloodthirsty saiyans reverted to their original state. All said and done, the death toll numbered in the hundreds of thousands and the once gleaming capitol laid in ruins. Rygal VII, had fallen.


	8. Chapter 7: What Dreams May Come

Chapter 7

What Dreams May Come

On blackened soil, fingers laced behind his head, Bardock lay amidst the ruin of Kanassa Prime. At the bottom of a crater he and his squad relaxed after conquering yet another world for Lord Frieza. The rest of his crew were laughing and celebrating their victory. Bardock lay contemplating the past.

Five years had passed since the taking of Rygal VII, and Friezas' empire had continued to grow. For his part in the affair Bardock had gained some degree on notoriety among his peers and, unbeknownst to himself, Frieza. Despite whatever fame he possessed, however, Bardock knew that he would never be accepted into the higher castes.

A veteran soldier, Bardock was born into a family of low social standing. No matter how many victories he achieved, no matter how many of his "betters" he defeated, he would always be considered a low-class peasant. It didn't matter though. He didn't fight for fame or glory, but for the pleasure of it. Their violent disposition in addition to Friezas' grooming had turned the saiyans into a cruel and intolerant people.

Coming out of his introspection, Bardock began to pick up the thread of the conversation his men were having. He heard Borgos speaking first, "…agree with you Fasha. You start to transform, and the next thing you know you're you again. You kinda remember it, but then it slips away like a dream." "Yeah, but I remember the fish-faced little bastard that gave me this." said Shugesh as he thumbed a cut under his eye.

Bardock continued to stare up at the sky as Fasha spoke, "Bardock says he remembers everything." Tora laughed, "Bardock may remember every second of every battle, but he remembers absolutely nothing of his personal life. I'll show you what I mean. Hey, Bardock! When was it that your son was born?"

Still remaining on his back he replied, "I don't remember. But, that was a long time ago." Fasha gave a brief chuckle, "You liar, when was it? Two, three days ago?" Bardock cocked his head to the side, "No, she hasn't given birth yet." Fasha gave him an _are you serious? _kind of look. "Yes, Bardock, she did." "Oh, and how would you know?" Tora burst out laughing, "See, I told ya so!" Slapping her hand to her forehead Fasha replied, "Because, dummy, we were all standing around when she sent you the message. You _spoke _to her. For the love of…do you even remember the kids name?"

"Nope."

"You named him!"

"Did I? Must be good then."

All the others were rolling with laughter. Fasha sat both frustrated and astonished by his willful ignorance. "Well anyway, you aughta go see the kid. You aught to have plenty of time. Who knows when our next mission's gonna be." At these word Bardock sat up, his voice harsh, "Go see him? What for? You know as well as I do he'll be put into the harvest program. Toss him in a pod, pump him full of drugs to grow him up quick, have a computer fill his head with Friezas' bullshit. He'll blow the hell out of some poor bunch of bastards like a good little drone, but he won't be a saiyan."

The others averted their eyes as an uncomfortable silence filled the air. Clearing his throat, Shugesh looked around saying, "Speaking of Frieza, why are we here? I mean, what does he want with this dump anyway? Is he out of his tiny little mind?" Happy for the change in subject Bardock answered, "Yeah, but there's a method to his madness. His scouts picked up an unusual energy emanating from the planet, and they say the inhabitants are telepathic. Y'know, read minds, see the future, pick winning lottery numbers, that kinda shit. He thinks the energy and the locals' ability are related. In short, he wants to be able to get into other peoples' heads. Paranoid little freak."

Borgos whistled, "…Now that's a scary thought. Frieza poking' around inside your head." "Well, at least youdon't have to worry about him finding anything in _your _head." Tora jabbed. Everyone laughed as Bardock got up and dusted himself off. He turned to walk away when Tora asked him where he was going. Bardock shouted over his shoulder "Gotta take a piss." as he made his way over to a distant pile of rubble.

Stepping up to the mound, but before he could relieve himself, one of the surviving inhabitants emerged from the debris and grabbed his head. The creatures gaze seemed to hold him in place. His muscles froze, time felt as though it had stopped, and the feeling of groping tendrils writhing through his consciousness took hold. To his eyes all the world lost it's color, there was no sound. Only the thing before him existed.

Vaguely amphibian, but totally alien, with webbed hands, a scaly hide, sharp, dagger-like teeth, and aquamarine eyes, the creature held him firm. Suddenly Bardock heard the aliens' croaking voice hissing in his mind. At first he only heard what must have been it's native tongue, but soon the foreign sounds were echoed by Bardocks' own language.

_You have come here at the behest of your master to seek the gift of foresight and to see into the minds of others. It is my wish that you could have heard the despair of my brethren as you and yours slaughtered them._

Images flashed in Bardocks mind, glimpses of the creatures' sights and thoughts in rapid succession. An endless ocean, a sunrise, more of it's people, a full moon, flames, death, and the transformed saiyans towering above. These and other things Bardock saw, and he felt crushing anguish like he had never endured before. He returned to the present and again the creatures' voice echoed.

_The one who seeks our power will never obtain it, but I have given it to you as a gift Bardock. So that you too might see the horror of your end, just as my people had to. You needn't wait long, the sins of your kind shall be paid for in full._

With these final words the aliens' eyes went lifeless and gray, just as Tora and the others ripped Bardock from the creatures' grip and utterly destroyed it. Standing shakily for a moment Bardock asked in slurred speech, "What took you guys so long, taking a nap?" The others looked at each other confused. Tora looked into his friends' eyes, "What are you talking about? That creep only had you for a second. Are you okay?" Bardock brushed him aside saying, "Yeah I'm fine." A moment later he fell to the ground unconscious.

Bardock found himself alone on an unfamiliar world. All about him were the signs of a recent battle. Buildings lay in ruins, towers of smoke rose in the distance, and the stench of burning flesh hung in the air as charred bodies lay burning in the embers. Confused, he looked around. _Where is this, and how did I get here? _His scouter alerted him to the presence of several formidable powers to the south; he took to the air and made for the source of the reading.

Closing in he noticed lights flashing on the horizon, just as several of the powers he detected earlier faded from his display. _Someone's having a hell of a fight, sounds like fun._ Nearing his objective he descended, landing roughly half a kilometer from the remaining powers. As he walked a feeling of dread began to grow, although he couldn't explain why.

Four bodies were sprawled out on the ground ahead and a sickly feeling churned his stomach. The sound of laughter stopped him before he could get close enough to identify the bodies. Through a plume of smoke nearby were four of the energies he'd picked up earlier, and they soon resolved into shadowy figures. Without reason he lunged at the shapes, and suddenly the scene changed.

No longer on the alien world, but in a medical facility, he heard the sound of an infant bawling. He wandered the halls searching for the child, but he never seemed to get any closer. When he tried to ask for help from the people around him, they grew angry and blamed him for the noise, demanding that he make it stop. He screamed and ahain he was in a different place.

_What the hell is going on? What is this? _He now stood before King Vegeta, then outside, then in the air, mayhem everywhere. Finally he saw his home world from orbit, surrounded by warships, a pair of gleaming red eyes filled with malevolent glee, again the infant wailed, the planet erupted, and the words of the creature from Kanassa Prime echoed in his mind once more. "The sins of your kind shall be paid for in full."

Bardocks' eyes snapped open and he found himself immersed in liquid. Reaching out, his hands touched glass. There was something on his face. He thrashed around, disoriented and panicked. Grates opened in the bottom of the chamber he was in and the liquid drained. There were two figures on the other side of the glass, their voices muffled.

Bardock backed against the rear of the chamber as the glass swung upward. The two figures came into focus, they were races familiar to Bardock, and were dressed all in white. Understanding dawned, and the saiyan relaxed. He was in a hospital. It was obvious that he was in a recovery tank, though he was unsure why that was. _I don't remember getting injured. But…something did happen…_

Removing the respirator mask and various electrodes, Bardock emerged from the tank.

"That was some dream you were having." said one of the doctors. Bardock looked at the man and asked, "Why am I here?"

"You lapsed into a coma on your last mission, though I can't figure out why."

The second alien spoke, "Your team said you were assaulted by one the inhabitants of Kanassa, but you weren't hurt physically and we couldn't find any trace of toxins in your system."

"Where am I, and where are they?" Bardock demanded.

"You are on Vegeta. They were here yesterday, said something about an important mission. Wanted to see if you were awake yet." replied the first doctor.

"Awake _yet_. How long have I been here?"

"Twenty-three days."

"What? I gotta get out of here. Did they say where they were going?"

"No, but I imagine you could find out at the docks."

"Hang on a second," said the other doctor "If you're thinking of going that's a bad idea. You've been exhibiting unusual activity in your occipital lobe. There's no way to tell whether or not you'll relapse, or what could trigger one."

"Gotta die of somethin' doc."

Bardock dressed and made his way out into the corridor. En route to the exit he heard a sound that stopped him in his tracks, a baby crying. _That's the cry I heard in my dream._ Rushing to the sound he found the infant, the small placard on it's crib read "Kakarot".

_Kakarot? My son? But, what has he got to do with my dream? I've never seen him before today._

Raising his hand, he activated his scouter to get a reading on the childs' power. _Only one, humph. I thought maybe you were special, but you're not even average._ Without warning another flash of unfamiliar sights came to Bardock. Kakarot in a pod, a small blue world, the boy training with an old man, and then locked in combat with a tall green alien. _Am I hallucinating? What the hell is wrong with me? _Bardock turned aside and strode away quickly.

Making his way to the docks, Bardock accessed his squads departure log. _An insurrection on Torjan III huh? And they went with one of Friezas' elite squads? Well well, looks like we're finally getting the respect we deserve. Hell, if I hurry I might not miss out on all the fireworks!_

Without delay Bardock ran to find a ship, and pursue his teammates.


End file.
